What does hōkū mean in Hawaiian?
Hōkū is a star. Polynesian navigators steered by the stars, so hōkū carries a sense of guidance and wayfinding as well as brightness. Hōkūlani is a heavenly star, Hōkūao the morning star, and Leihōkū a lei of stars. Hōkūleʻa, the star of gladness, is the Hawaiian name for Arcturus and for the voyaging canoe that revived long-distance navigation in 1976.
Say it HOH-koo. Every vowel is pronounced, and the capitalized syllable takes the stress. A vowel with a line over it (kahakō) is held a little longer. The pronunciation guide covers the rules.
On this site hōkū is part of 5 names: 3 begin with it, 1 end with it, and 1 carry it elsewhere. Most are girl names, and all of them sit in the group of Hawaiian names meaning star.